The city of Dalian has always held secrets. Its foreign colonization and occupation brought external cultures and languages to Northeast China. Great Britain, Russia, and Japan took turns dominating the region for nearly a century, influencing local folklore and religious superstitions. When the city was finally returned to native hands, China experienced numerous waves of political and social upheaval. These events made local ghost stories a taboo subject. This compilation is the first historic research of supernatural events and sightings in Dalian from 1858 to 1958. It also combines vintage colonial images with the modern photographic vision of SongLi.

ISBN: 1441472800 @ amazon.com

Promotion for the photobook “Dalian Ghost Stories: Based on True Events from the Qing Niwa, Dalny, Dairen, and Luda Periods of the City’s History” by SongLi. (ISBN: 978-1441472809) Music © Torley Wong.

Everyday Dalian: Life in Modern Manchuria. A former colony briefly founded by Russia but later developed over two generations by Japan, Dalian has always been a strategic hub for control of Northeast China. SongLi’s photography collection about the city and its population has won multiple international awards. Each image captures the richness and color of the modern-day Manchurian metropolis, documenting its transition over six years.

The “slice of life” presentation, a hallmark style of SongLi, offers a new depth to the environments and people living in this historic port. These pictures also present an original artistic and realistic view of a community shaped by the turbulent legacy of its foreign occupation, and the aftermath of the bitter Chinese Civil War, to emerge as one of the leading cities in the country.

This book also comes with a foreword by Phil Borges. The humanitarian photographer is famous for his signature black and white portraits with hand tinted skin tones of endangered cultures around the world.

ISBN: 0-9763168-5-4 @ www.amazon.com / Pages: 264 / Photos: 252